August 16
Birthdays:
1983 ~ Valerie Luiselli, Mexican author. She was born in Mexico City, Mexico.
1972 ~ Frankie Boyle (né Francis Martin Patrick Boyle), Scottish stand-up comedian and writer. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland.
1962 ~ Steve Carell (né Steven John Carell), American actor and comedian. He was born in Concord, Massachusetts.
1958 ~ Madonna (née Madonna Louise Ciccone), American singer-songwriter. She was born in Bay City, Michigan.
1953 ~ James Cameron (né James Francis Cameron), Canadian film director and producer. He is best known for his 1997 movie The Titanic. He was born in Kapushasing, Ontario, Canada.
1946 ~ Lesley Ann Warren, American actress best known for her role as Cinderella in the movie of the same name. She was born in New York, New York.
1944 ~ Kevin Ayers (d. Feb. 18, 2013), British psychedelic guitarist who shunned stardom. He died at age 68 in Montolieu, France.
1939 ~ Billy Joe Shaver (d. Oct. 28, 2020), American songwriter from Texas who shaped outlaw country. He was born in Corsicana, Texas. He died at age 81 in Waco, Texas.
1934 ~ Angela Buxton (d. Aug. 15, 2020), British tennis star who found a trailblazing partner. She was born in Liverpool, England. She was a British Jew and was considered an outcast in the English tennis community. She partnered with African-American Althea Gibson and they went on to win the 1956 Wimbledon doubles. She died 1 day before her 86th birthday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
1933 ~ Julie Newmar (née Julia Chalene Newmeyer), American actress. She portrayed Catwoman on the television series Batman. She was born in Los Angeles, California.
1932 ~ Jon Lindbergh (né Jon Morrow Lindbergh; d. July 29, 2021), American son of aviator Charles Lindbergh who found adventure at sea. He was an aquanaut who worked as a United States Navy demolition expert. He was born in New York, New York. He died of renal cancer less than 3 weeks before his 89th birthday in Lewisburg, West Virginia.
1931 ~ Alessandro Mendini (d. Feb. 18, 2019), Italian postmodernist who brought joy to design. He was an architect and designer. He was born and died in Milan, Italy. He died at age 87.
1930 ~ Robert Culp (né Robert Martin Culp; d. Mar. 24, 2010), American actor. He is best known for his role as Kelly Robinson in the television show I Spy. He was born in Oakland, California. He died of a heart condition at age 79 in Los Angeles, California.
1930 ~ Frank Gifford (né Francis Newton Gifford; d. Aug. 9, 2015), American football hero who became a broadcast icon. His third wife was television personality Kathie Lee Johnson, who after their marriage became known as Kathie Lee Gifford. The two shared the same birthday, although she was 23 years younger than he was. He was born in Santa Monica, California. He died 1 week before his 85th birthday in Greenwich, Connecticut.
1929 ~ Evelyn Y. Davis (d. Nov. 4, 2018), Dutch-born corporate gadfly who shamed CEOs. She was known as the Queen of the Corporate Jungle. She owned stock in more than 80 public companies and would travel to shareholder meetings to fight for lower executive pay and greater transparency and accountability. She was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She died at age 89 in Washington, D.C.
1928 ~ Eydie Gormé (née Edith Gormezano; d. Aug. 10, 2013), American singer who often performed with her husband, Steve Lawrence. She was born in the Bronx, New York. She died 6 days before her 85th birthday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1926 ~ Channing Pollock (d. Mar. 19, 2006), American magician and actor. He was born in Sacramento, California. He died of cancer in Las Vegas, Nevada at age 79.
1924 ~ Fess Parker (né Fess Elisha Parker, Jr.; d. Mar. 18, 2010), American actor, best known for his role as Daniel Boone in the TV series of the same name. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He died at age 85 in Santa Ynez, California.
1920 ~ Charles Bukowski (né Heinrich Karl Bukowski; d. Mar. 9, 1994), German-born American poet and novelist. He was born in Andernach, Germany. He died of leukemia at age 73 in Los Angeles, California.
1916 ~ James B. Morehead (né James Bruce Morehead; d. Mar. 11, 2012), American World War II fighter ace who hunted big game. He flew combat missions over a three-year span of the war with a total of eight aerial victories. He was awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses, a Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses and sixteen Air Medals. He was born in Paoli, Oklahoma. He died at age 95 in Petaluma, California.
1913 ~ Menachem Begin (b. Mar. 9, 1992), 6th Israeli Prime Minister and recipient of the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize. He served as Prime Minister from June 1977 until October 1983. He was born in Brest, Russian Empire. He died of a heart attack at age 78 in Tel Aviv, Israel.
1911 ~ E.F. Schumacher (né Ernst Friedrich Schumacher; d. Sept. 4, 1977), German-born economist and statistician. He was born in Bonn, Germany. He died of a heart attack in Switzerland while on a lecture tour just 19 days after his 66thbirthday.
1904 ~ Wendell Meredith Stanley (d. June 15, 1971), American biochemist and virologist. He was the recipient of the 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for or his work in the purification and crystallization of viruses, thus demonstrating their molecular structure. He was born in Ridgeville, Indiana. He died of a heart attack at age 66 while attending a conference on viruses in Salamanca, Spain.
1902 ~ Georgette Heyer (d. July 4, 1974), English writer of gothic novels and historical romance novels. She was born and died in London, England. She died of lung cancer at age 71.
1900 ~ Ida Browne (née Ida Alison Browne; d. Oct. 21, 1976), Australian geologist and paleontologist. She was born in Paddington, New South Wales, Australia. She died at age 76 in Edgecliff, New South Wales, Australia.
1896 ~ Tina Modotti (née Assunta Adelaide Luigia Modotti Mondini, d. Jan. 5, 1942), Italian photographer and model. She was also a revolutionary political activist. She was born in Udine, Italy. She died of heart failure in Mexico City, Mexico at age 45.
1894 ~ George Meany (né William George Meany; d. Jan. 10, 1980), American plumber and labor union leader. He was the first president of the AFL-CIO. He was born in Harlem, New York. He died at age 85 in Washington, D.C.
1892 ~ Otto Messmer (né Otto James Messmer; d. Oct. 28, 1983), American cartoonist and co-creator of Felix the Cat. He was born in Union City, New Jersey. He died at age 91 in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
1888 ~ T.E. Lawrence (né Thomas Edward Lawrence, d. May 19, 1935), British army officer and writer. He was known as Lawrence of Arabia. He was born in Wales. He died at age 46 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.
1845 ~ Gabriel Lippmann (né Jonas Ferdinand Gabriel Lippmann; d. July 13, 1921), French physicist who was awarded the 1908 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in color photography. He died about a month before his 76th birthday while aboard the steamer SS France while en route to Canada.
1842 ~ Jakob Rosanes (d. Jan. 6, 1922), Austrian mathematician and chess master. He was born in Brody, Austria-Hungary, which is now a part of the Ukraine. He died at age 79 in Breslau, Kingdom of Prussia.
1821 ~ Arthur Cayley (d. Jan. 26, 1895), British mathematician. He died at age 73 in Cambridge, England.
1682 ~ Louis, Duke of Burgundy (d. Feb. 18, 1712), Dauphin of France. He was never king, however, because he died while his grandfather, Louis XIV, was still on the throne. In 1697, he married to Princess Marie Adélaïde of Savoy (1685 ~ 1712). It was a happy marriage. They were the parents of Louis, XV, King of France. He was of the House of Bourbon. He was the son of Louis, Grand Dauphin and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. He was Roman Catholic. He died at age 29, just 6 days after the death of his wife. Both had contracted measles, which was the cause of death.
1645 ~ Jean de la Bruyère (d. May 11, 1696), French philosopher and moralist. He is best known for his satire. He was born in Paris, Kingdom of France. He died at age 50 in Versailles, Kingdom of France.
1573 ~ Anne of Austria (d. Feb. 10, 1598), Queen consort of Poland and first wife of Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland (1566 ~ 1632). They married in 1592. She was of the House of Habsburg. She was the daughter of Charles II, Archduke of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria. She was Catholic. She died at age 24 of complication of childbirth.
1565 ~ Christina of Lorraine (d. Dec. 19, 1637), Grand Duchess consort of Tuscany and wife of Ferdinando I, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1549 ~ 1609). They married in 1589. She was of the House of Lorraine. She was the daughter of Charles III, Duke of Lorraine and Princess Claude of Valois. She was the granddaughter of Henry II, King of France. She was Roman Catholic. She died at age 72.
1378 ~ Hongxi (d. May 29, 1425), 4th Chinese Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He died at age 46.
1355 ~ Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess of Ulster (d. Jan. 5, 1382), English princess and member of the royal family. She married Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March (1352 ~ 1381), in 1368. Her cousin was Richard II, King of England who was childless, making the children of Philippa and her husband to be in line for the throne, setting the stage for the War of the Roses in the 1400s. She was of the House of Plantagenet. She was the daughter of Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence and Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster. She died at age 25.
Events that Changed the World:
2022 ~ President Joe Biden (b. 1942) signed the Inflation Reduction Act giving the country a pathway to cut emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.
2020 ~ The August Complex Fire in California, which originated as 38 separate fires, believed to have started by lightning strikes, began burning. By the time the fire was extinguished in November 2022, more than 1 million acres of land had burned.
2016 ~ The Blue Cut fire in Cajon Pass, San Bernadino County was first reported. It is believed to have begun on a hiking path and over the course of 7 days tore through over 37,000 acres of land forcing more than 82,000 people to evacuate. Over 105 homes were destroyed by the fire. Plumes of smoke were so large that they could be seen from space.
1987 ~ Northwest Airlines Flight 225 crashed soon after takeoff in Detroit, Michigan. All but 1 person of the 155 crew and passengers aboard were killed, as well as 2 people on the ground. The sole survivor was a 4-year-old girl who suffered severe injuries. An investigation determined that the cause of the accident was pilot error.
1964 ~ A coup d’état replaced Dương Văn Minh (1916 ~ 2001) with General Nguyễn Khánh (1927 ~ 2013) as President of South Vietnam. A new constitution was established with the assistance of the United States Embassy.
1960 ~ Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom.
1954 ~ Sports Illustrated was published for the first time by Time, Inc.
1929 ~ The 1929 Palestine riots began in Mandatory Palestine between Palestinian Arabs and Jews, primarily over access to the Western Wall. The riots ran through much of the month. By the end, over 130 Jews and 115 Arabs were killed in the rioting.
1920 ~ Ray Chapman (1891 ~ 1920) for the Cleveland Indians was hit on the head by a fastball thrown by New York Yankee Carl Mays (1891 ~ 1971). He would die the following day from injuries sustained by the hit. He was 29 years old. This was the first and, to date, only, fatality due to pitching in baseball.
1916 ~ Canada and the United States signed the Migratory Bird Treaty.
1913 ~ Tōhoku Imperial University in became the first university in Japan to admit female students. The school is now known as just the Tōhoku University.
1906 ~ An 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck Valparaíso, Chile, killing over 3800 people.
1896 ~ Gold was discovered in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada, beginning the Klondike Gold Rush.
1812 ~ During the War of 1812, American General William Hull (1753 ~ 1825) surrendered Fort Detroit to the British Army without a fight.
1780 ~ The British defeated the Americans at the Battle of Camden, South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War.
1777 ~ During the Battle of Bennington, the Americans, led by General John Stark (1728 ~ 1822), routed out the British. August 16 is still commemorated as Bennington Battle Day in Vermont.
1570 ~ The Principality of Transylvania was established after John II Zápolya (1540 ~ 1571) renounced his claim as King of Hungary. He then became the first Prince of Transylvania.
1328 ~ The House of Gonzaga seized power in the Duchy of Mantau and ruled there until 1708.
Good-Byes:
2021 ~ Sean Lock (b. Apr. 22, 1963), British comedian. He died of cancer at age 58 in London, England.
2019 ~ Peter Fonda (né Peter Henry Fonda; b. Feb. 23, 1940), America actor and son of Henry Fonda. He was the Hollywood rebel who made Easy Rider. He was also well known for his role in Ulee’s Gold. He was the father of actress Bridget Fonda. He was born in New York, New York. He died of lung cancer at age 79 in Los Angeles, California.
2019 ~ Richard Williams (né Richard Edmund Williams; b. Mar. 19, 1933), Canadian animator who really framed Roger Rabbit. He was a film animator and voice actor. He was best known for serving as the animation director for the 1988 movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? He was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He died of cancer at age 86 in Bristol, England.
2018 ~ Aretha Franklin (née Aretha Louise Franklin; b. Mar. 25, 1942), African-American soul singer who captured our attention. She was known as the Queen of Soul. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee. She died at age 76 in Detroit, Michigan.
2016 ~ John McLaughlin (né John Joseph McLaughlin, b. Mar. 29, 1927), American priest turned pundit who reshaped political television. He entered the Jesuit order and was ordained as a priest in 1959. While still in the priesthood, he became a speech writer for President Nixon. He left the priesthood in 1974 and ultimately became a television journalist and host of The McLaughlin Group on public television. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He died at age 89 in Washington, D.C.
2013 ~ David Rees (b. May 29, 1918), Welsh mathematician. During World War II, he was active on Enigma research at Bletchley Park. He died at age 95.
2011 ~ Creed Black (né Creed Carter Black, b. July 15, 1925), American newsman who made a mantra of fearless reporting. He was born in Harlan, Kentucky. He died of complications from a stroke a month after his 86th birthday in Miami, Florida.
2010 ~ Bobby Thomson (né Robert Brown Thomson, b. Oct. 25, 1923), Scottish-born professional baseball player who hit “the shot heard ‘round the world.” He hit a three-run homer run for the New York Giants during the 1951 season, which gave the Giants a win over the Brooklyn Dodger and the pennant. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He died at age 86 in Skidaway Island, Georgia.
2003 ~ Idi Amin (b. 1928), Ugandan dictator. The exact date of his birth is unknown. He is believed to have been between 75 and 80 at the time of his death.
1989 ~ Amanda Blake (née Beverly Louise Neill, b. Feb. 20, 1929), American actress best known for her role as Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke. She was born in Buffalo, New York. She died at age 60 of cancer in Sacramento, California.
1977 ~ Elvis Presley (né Elvis Aaron Presley, b. Jan. 8, 1935), American singer. He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. He died at age 42 in Memphis, Tennessee.
1973 ~ Selman Waksman (né Selman Abraham Waksman, b. July 22, 1888), Ukrainian-born American biochemist and microbiologist. He was the recipient of the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of streptomycin. He died 25 days after his 85th birthday in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
1959 ~ William Halsey, Jr. (né William Frederick Halsey, Jr.; b. Oct. 30, 1882), American Navy Admiral during World War II. He was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He died at age 76 in Fishers Island, New York.
1957 ~ Irving Langmuir (b. Jan. 31, 1881), American chemist, physicist, and engineer. In 1932, he was the recipient of the 1932 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in surface chemistry. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He died of a heart attack in Woods Hole, Massachusetts at age 76.
1956 ~ Bela Lugosi (né Béla Ferenc Dezsö Blaskó, b. Oct. 20, 1882), Hungarian actor, best known for his roles in early horror films and as portraying Count Dracula on both Broadway and in the film version. He died at age 73 in Los Angeles, California.
1949 ~ Margaret Mitchell (née Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell, b. Nov. 8, 1900), American novelist who wrote Gone with the Wind. She was born and died in Atlanta, Georgia. She died at age 48 after having been struck by a speeding car as she crossed a street in Atlanta, Georgia.
1948 ~ Babe Ruth (né George Herman Ruth, Jr.; b. Feb. 6, 1895), American professional baseball player. He played for the Boston Red Sox before being traded to the New York Yankees. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He died of cancer at age 53 in New York, New York.
1938 ~ Robert Johnson (né Robert Leroy Johnson, b. May 8, 1911), African-American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. He died at age 27 of unknown causes in Greenwood, Mississippi.
1921 ~ Peter I, King of Serbia (b. July 11, 1844), He was the 1st King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. He was King from December 1918 until his death. He was married to Princess Zorka of Montenegro (1864 ~ 1890). He was of the House of Karađorđević. He was the son of Alexander Karađorđević and Persida Nenadović. He died at age 77.
1910 ~ Pedro Montt (né Pedro Elias Pablo Montt Montt; d. June 29, 1849), President of Chile. He served as President from September 1906 until his death at age 61 of a stroke in August 1910. He was born in Santiago, Chile and died in Bremen, Germany. He was in Germany for medical treatment when he died.
1899 ~ Robert Bunsen (né Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen, b. Mar. 30, 1811), German chemist and inventor. He developed the Bunsen burner. He was born in Göttingen, Rhine Confederation, Germany. He died at age 88 in Heidelberg, Baden, German Empire.
1888 ~ John Pemberton (né John Stith Pemberton, b. July 8, 1831), American pharmacist and inventor of Coca-Cola. He was born in Knoxville, Georgia. He was also served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He died at age 57 of stomach cancer in Atlanta, Georgia.
1836 ~ Marc-Antoine Parseval (b. Apr. 27, 1755), French mathematician. He died at age 81.
1705 ~ Jacob Bernoulli (b. Jan. 6, 1654), Swiss mathematician. Under the Julian calendar, his birthday is cited as being on December 27, 1654. Under the Gregorian calendar, his birthdate is considered January 6, 1655. He was born and died in Basel, Switzerland. He was 50 at the time of his death.
1445 ~ Margaret Stewart (b. Dec. 25, 1425), Dauphine of France and first wife of Louis, Dauphin of France. They married when she was 11 years old. He later became Louis XI, King of France, but Margaret died before he became king, thus was never the queen consort. She was of the House of Stewart. She was the daughter of James I, King of Scotland and Joan Beaufort. She died at age 20 of an apparent fever.
1419 ~ Wenceslaus IV, King of Bohemia (b. Feb. 26, 1361). He ruled Bohemia from November 1378 until his death in 1419. He was married twice. His first wife was Joanna of Bavaria (1362 ~ 1386). They married in 1370. She was killed by an attack of her husband’s hunting dogs. His second wife was Sophia of Bavaria (1376 ~ 1428). They married in 1389. There were no children of this marriage. He was of the House of Luxembourg. He was the son of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna von Schweidnitz. He died at age 58.
1358 ~ Albert II, Duke of Austria (b. Dec. 12, 1298). He reigned from April 1335 until his death in August 1358. He was known as Albert the Wise and Albert the Lame. He was married to Countess Johanna of Pfirt (1300 ~ 1351). They married in 1324. He was of the House of Habsburg. He was the son of Albert I, King of Germany and Elizabeth of Carinthia. He died at age 59.
1157 ~ Ramiro II, King of Aragon (b. Apr. 24, 1086). He ruled over Aragon from 1134 until 1157, however, he was king in name only for the last 20 years of his life. He married Agnes of Aquitaine (d. 1159). His reign was tumultuous. In 1137, he ceded the throne to his daughter, Petronilla so he could return to the monastery. He was a monk and was known as Ramiro the Monk. He was of the House of Jiménez. He was the son of Sancho Ramírez, King of Aragon and Felicia of Roucy. He was Roman Catholic. He died at age 71.
Comments
Post a Comment